Monthly Mixtape – August ’25

So I’m mega late with this one for a variety of reasons, but better late than never!

Here’s what I loved listening to during August.

Thank you for visiting as always 🙂

Marc

The Essential 5

Chappell Roan – The Subway
A dreamy alt-pop track with shoegaze and jangle pop influences, full of layered harmonies and poetic wordplay that showcase Chappell’s emotional depth.

Nicotine Dolls – Touch the Ground
An underrated indie gem with Sam Cieri’s raspy, powerful vocals soaring over hazy guitars, 80s synths and a gorgeous shift between upbeat verses and wistful chorus.

Dragonette – Twennies (The Knocks Remix)
The Knocks transform Dragonette’s track into a high-energy 80s-inspired electro-pop remix packed with bubbling synths, funky bass lines and vocoder vocals.

LANY – Know You Naked
A sultry return to form blending indie-rock and R&B, this track captures infatuation with thumping beats, rich bass and LANY’s signature heartfelt lyrics.

Olivia Dean – Man I Need
A breezy, soulful pop-R&B-gospel hybrid about self-worth, lifted by Olivia Dean’s stunning vocals and infectious gospel refrains.

The Long List

Chappell Roan – The Subway
#DreamPop #HeavenlyHarmonies #PoeticLyrics

I love Chappell a lot and this song is another wonderful addition to her back catalogue. I like how she’s not afraid to dabble in different genres but still sounds unmistakeably like herself. This pop song blends dreamy alt-pop, dreampop, jangle pop and shoegaze influences in a similar vein to The Sundays, The Cocteau Twins and The Cranberries. Apparently, Chappell was initially reluctant to record a studio version after several live performances, fearing she couldn’t replicate the raw emotion, but ultimately decided to. I especially love the layered harmonies and wordplay in the finale: “She’s got, she’s got a way, she’s got a way, she’s got a way, and she got, she got away, she got away, she got away.” Lovely.

Nicotine Dolls – Touch the Ground
#InsaneVocals #LoveAtFirstSight #AmericanAlternative

Nicotine Dolls are a very precious, underrated indie band based in New York City. Led by singer Sam Cieri and his unbelievably powerful, raspy vocals, they became known after he appeared briefly on America’s Got Talent before leaving to maintain creative control. This dreamy track is from their latest album An Attempt at Romantic and is without a doubt my favourite from the record. I adore the chord progressions and the switch between the more uptempo verses and the slower, wistful chorus. Sam’s vocals sound incredible as always over hazy guitars and 80s pop synths. Gorgeous.

Dragonette – Twennies (The Knocks Remix)
#80sThrowback #ElectroPop #FunkyBassline

Brilliant American electronic duo The Knocks flip Canadian electro-pop band Dragonette’s Twennies on its head and give it a high-energy, 80s electro-pop feel complete with bubbling synths, funky bass lines, reverberating drums and vocoder vocals. Moody, funky and fun.

LANY – Know You Naked
#SexyRnB #IndieRock #SolidProduction

My favourite LANY song in forever! I used to love them back in my first job, almost a decade ago, but drifted away for a variety of reasons (their frequent output, some songs feeling too similar etc). This, however, is a return to form and reminds me of their early EPs and debut album. A sultry, sexy indie-rock record with elements of R&B, it’s a song about being infatuated with a partner both sexually and emotionally. It’s unmistakeably LANY with the chord progressions and love-heavy lyrics, but what elevates this track is the production – the thumping beats and rich bass line. It reminds me of some of their earlier work: Thick and Thin, 4EVER!, Hurts etc. Brilliant.

Olivia Dean – Man I Need
#Soulful #NeoSoul #GospelVocals

Girl of the moment, neo-soul singer Olivia Dean really shines on this gorgeous pop/R&B/gospel hybrid. A song about knowing you deserve to be loved, it’s breezy, classic and soulful – and I love that a track of this style and stature has entered the UK Top 40 in the top five. Refreshing! The best part? The “talk to me, talk to me” gospel vocals which carry the song.

Robbie Williams and Bob Sinclar – Electrico Romantico (Rayven Valexx Remix)
#DiscoPop #Technology #TechAndRomance

I somehow missed this when it was released, but boy, it’s good! The original version is great too, but this Rayven Valexx remix turns it into a disco-house banger with thumping beats, disco strings and a chord progression reminiscent of Michael Gray’s 2004 hit The Weekend. Fun, catchy and another reminder of Robbie’s ability to genre-hop.

Barry Can’t Swim – Childhood
#DreamyDance #EuphoricGrooves #SampleMagic

Opening with introspective, mellow piano chords, this song evolves into a euphoric dance track. Sampling Billy Hutch’s 1973 track I Choose You and Otis Redding’s Pain In My Heart (1963), it’s dreamy and euphoric at the same time – and its use of sampling is genius. Brilliant.

Justin Bieber – First Place
#IndieRnBVibes #MoodySynths #DrumMachineGroove

Still enjoying the (ridiculously named) Swag album and the indie-R&B moody vibes flowing throughout. This track opens with moody synths before industrial, drum machine-like percussion sets in. I love the poppy vibes here – at times it sounds like Michael Jackson, with an almost new-jack-swing feel (think New Edition). Definitely one of the album highlights.

Miley Cyrus – Reborn
#TrancePopAnthem #SpiritualRenaissance #ThumpingBeats

I’ve meant to include this for a while but it kept missing out on my Top 20. It’s finally here! Miley sounds incredible on this trance-pop anthem, embracing renaissance through spiritual enlightenment. At times reminiscent of Kylie’s Fever era, it sounds huge with its thumping beats, spacey vocals and electronic production. Miley has said the song has lived up to its name, having many lives before reaching this trance-heavy final version.

Nicotine Dolls – Anna
#AnthemicRock #80sRockVibes #TinaTurnerEnergy

Yep, Nicotine Dolls again! This one is a stand-alone release teased for months by Sam Cieri before finally dropping. An anthemic rock track that mirrors 80s rock in a similar vein to Tina Turner, Journey and Foreigner, it’s full of energy, brilliant melodies and Sam’s raspy, compelling vocals. Amazing.

Hayley Williams – Whim
#AltPopVibes #MoodyAndIntrospective #BrilliantVocals

Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams has released another solo endeavour and once again, it’s damn good! Utilising an alternative-pop sound, Whim is about wanting to enjoy love without fear. It has all the hallmarks of her solo records – moody vibes, introspective lyrics, brilliant vocals and strong pop sensibilities.

Jayda G – Shiver
#90sHouseVibes #EuphoricBeats #HousePianoRiffs

This is MEGA! Jayda G is a Canadian house producer and this euphoric track feels rooted in the best of 90s house music, channelling the love and lightness she felt after giving birth to her child. Full of 90s house piano riffs, thumping beats, repetitive lyrics and a breakdown midway through reminiscent of Crystal Waters’ Gypsy Woman. Definitely worth a listen if you love house music.

Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande – One Heart, One Voice
#TimelessBallad #GorgeousVocals #RichOrchestration

When I first heard this, I was certain it must be a new version of an old track – perhaps even a 90s Disney record – but it’s brand new, taken from Barbra’s duets album The Secret of Life: Partners Volume 2. Complete with gorgeous piano work, rich orchestration, key changes and flawless vocal performances from all three, it feels nostalgic, timeless and comforting. Perfect for the coming autumn and winter months.

Ed Sheeran – Sapphire
#WesternPopMeetsIndianSounds #GorgeousFalsetto #WarmMelodies

I think Ed is hugely talented, but for me his music can be hit-or-miss, and he does get over-saturated with radio play. That said, this is the first of his songs in a long while to make my ‘current’ playlist. Featuring Indian artist Arijit Singh, I love how it blends Western pop with Indian musical influences. Warm, melodic and lifted by Ed’s gorgeous falsetto. My favourite Ed track in a long time.

Lack of Afro – Heart & Soul
#SoulDiscoVibes #RnBInfluence #PianoSoloMagic

Adam Gibbons, better known as Lack of Afro, is a musician from Exeter. Heart and Soul is an uplifting, irresistible dance track that fuses R&B, soul and disco influences with brilliant piano solos. Euphoric.

Bonze – Jenny (Can You Hear Me?)
#SynthPopVibes #80sInfluence #CatchyHooks

A great track from London-based indie-pop act Bonze. With clear influences from The 1975 and Glass Animals, this 80s-leaning slice of synthpop is a love letter to a new partner, full of catchy hooks, funky bass lines, moody piano riffs and huge production – all recorded in a shed in the depths of winter! A brilliant piece of indie-pop.

Olivia Dean – Lady, Lady
#NeoSoulVibes #GospelInfluence #MoodySynths

Olivia again. I love her. This track begins with moody synths and shaker percussion before evolving into a gospel-influenced piece of neo-soul. The second release from her upcoming album The Art of Loving, Lady, Lady reflects on womanhood, personal growth and change. Gorgeous.

Heyoon – Addicted
#ElectroPopBanger #FunkyAndFresh #SlickProduction

A funky and fresh electro-pop banger from Korean singer-songwriter Heyoon. I love the slick sound and production on this one. Great fun!

Lack of Afro – Walls Start Rockin’
#DiscoInfluence #FourToTheFloor #PianoRiffs

Lack of Afro again. Another four-to-the-floor disco-influenced banger with piano riffs, thumping beats, looped soulful vocals and a slick bass line. Fun, joyful and full of positive vibes.

d4vd – Feel It (from Invincible)
#IndieRnBVibes #FunkInfluence #DiscoPopGroove

I love songs with this indie-R&B sound. Utilising elements of funk and disco-pop, Feel It has great energy, reverberating almost-rapped vocals and a chorus lifted by rich falsetto.

Ed Sheeran – A Little More
#SoulfulVibes #Mid2000sSoul #UKSoul

Ed again! I know, I’m surprised too – but clearly he’s doing something right with his latest album. I love the soulful vibes on this. It feels very mid-2000s, when the soul explosion was happening in the UK. Chilled yet positive, and detailing the aftermath of leaving a toxic relationship, it’s irresistibly catchy.